This release is a psychedelic fun ride through the urban centre of South Africa, from the streets of Soweto to the enclave of Maboneng. Bhubesii raps from the perspective of his Kobayashi alter ego, a stylish trickster on a mission for a good time. The music aims to reinterpret classic kwaito for 2016, with Bhubesii…
As he moved deeper into his own psychosis, whose onset he had recognized during his year at the hospital, he welcomed this journey into a familiar land, zones of twilight. At dawn, after driving all night, they reached the suburbs of Hell– The Atrocity Exhibition, J.G Ballard, 1970. Staring at the devils face but you…
Global nomad (and sometimes South African resident) Amirah Tajdin has directed this oh-so dreamy new video for the London based, Dubai/Bahrain raised psych rock band Flamingods. In characteristic Amirah style, the video brings together hybrid cultural cues with an impeccable aesthetic sensibility. Amirah is strongly influenced by music, and lyrics and melodies often inspire the mood and images…
Since the late 2000’s, South African hip-hop has seen a meteoric rise. The country’s events calendar is increasingly populated with large-scale hip-hop events; relationships with big brands have strengthened, allowing artists to earn additional income through endorsement deals; 2012 saw the launch of the South African Hip Hop Awards; and mainstream radio has finally bought…
In a cover feature he did with Bubblegum Club earlier this year, Felix Laband told us of his desire to push his music forward by making it more topical and confrontational. But sometimes you have to retrace your past steps to go forward. Dropping on the 30th of September, the Bag of Bones EP seems…
Being sad about failed love and emotional disasters is almost de rigueur for any self-respecting contemporary star. It shows your human side by connecting with universal experience. In rap and RnB, (primarily male) pain has been a dominant style since Kayne released the morbid 808’s and Heartbreak in 2008. Almost every major artist who has…
“Lale ilalilale! Wavuka ekseni awazi ulalephi!” For the past two hours, our cluster of festival-goers had supplanted the Wodumo chant over almost every beat that descended from the decks of that Oppikoppi stage. Somewhere amid the heaving hilltop congregation, a whistle punctuated each off-beat, driving the chant forward. The gqom banger, Wololo, had become so…
I fucking love Joburg but hell, the city is killing me! It’s a city at the epicenter of creative talent and cultural fusion screaming for recognition. It is here that Red bull music Academy (RBMA) decided to host one of its global music festivals at what for me is the heart of this amazing city of…
Exuberance is the best word to describe the work of multi-media artist Dion Monti. His practice in film, soundscapes, music and installations all share bright colours and warm tones. Operating out of Johannesburg, his various projects have the quality of being deceptively simple. For example, he produced a series of geometric human figures painted onto…
Digital snow dissipates into industrial plumes of smoke foregrounded by a hazy sun-kissed grassland. Mounds of barren gold-dust emerge from the surface, translating into geometric layers of brick and mortar. A gritty aesthetic echoes the abrasive undertone of the urban landscape. Johannesburg. Articulated in a multiplicity of entangled narratives, the journey begins. Crystalline purple shimmers…
When I heard Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia Ultra for the first time in 2011, his captivating voice and dissolute lyrics were great enough. But what really made me flip out was a line on the song ‘Novacaine’ where he (or at least its protagonist) compare themselves to Stanley Kubrick. It’s a unique mind that thinks to…
Since 2014, Healer Oran has been creating a library of ‘afro-noise’ releases. Healer hails from the Eastern Cape, but has more recently been based in Johannesburg. And much like the harsh Midrand sprawl, his aesthetic is all about the power of disruption and dissonance. His ear is tuned to the abrasive potential of the many…
